Best improvements in performance

I would like to ask what you have added to your scope that has given the best performance gain for the money spent.
Everything from EPs, Diags, Flocking, DSCs whatever that you have felt provided the best bang for the buck!

This would include things like collimators too if they improved the performance of the scope.

I for one would say EPs were the biggest improvement I found. With collimator being the 2nd because of the improved images to the EPs. A better Diag did a little but not a big jump by any means so maybe it would come in 3rd. 4th would have to be flocking for improved contrast.

So how about you?
Floyd

"I for one would say EPs were the biggest improvement I found. "

---------------

Selling my most expensive eyepieces to buy a bigger mirror resulted in my best improvement in performance. :-)

Floyd,

Great discussion item. I'm going to put my list in order of bang for the buck. XT10 10" dob.

1. Shower caps (Wal Mart)
2. Observing chair (home built)
3. Unit power finder (Rigel for me)
4. Barlowed laser collimation
5. Flocking (Protostar)
6. EQ Platform (home built)
7. Barlow / powermate (Televue)
8. Accessory shelf (home built)
9. Premium ep's
10. Active cooling system (proprietary)
11. Crayford focuser (William Optics)
12. Focusing aid (like TV focus arm, home built)
13. Ebony star laminate
14. Neutral Density filter
15. Binoviewers (TV and Denkmeier)
16. ST80 refractor as a finder (Celestron)

What would you have to pry from my cold dead hands? The observing chair, eq platform and binoviewers. I'll let you have all the rest.

I have a description of all the homebuilt stuff here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~tomhole/Astronomy.htm

Clear skies,

TOm

On a recently acquired 8 inch newt:
- Flocked the entire inside of the tube.
- Upgraded to a JMI crayford AND adjusted to make it light touch to change focus.
- Replaced the stock diagonal & mirror to a three vaned Protostar mount and mirror.

Great boost in contrast and the focusing at high power does not impart any movement.

Gary Weber

The most cost effective thing I did was to add a tube extension to the end of my 13" f/4.5 (Sonotube, homemade) dob. It dramatically improved sky darkness/contrast, by reducing the amount of stray light in the eyepiece end of the tube. It cost next to nothing.

Next is refiguring the nearly one wave (!) Coulter primary to around 1/4 wave. If you count not only the cost of recoating but also my time, then it was definitely not a cheap fix.

But the biggest improvement regardless of cost came from upgrading my eyepieces, but you can't call that a "big bang for the buck". I have more $$$ tied up in eyepieces than I do in the scope!

Regards,
Doug

OOh, how could I forget. Lumicon OIII filter. Just looking at the Veil Nebula was worth the price. Much cheaper than most all "premium" eyepieces.

Doug

Floyd,

Well, for me personally it was ep's. I bought a Discovery 10" dob(my first scope) that came with two plossls. The FOV was probably 50 degrees(if that) for both of them.

The first time I tried out the scope I came to the conclusion that I should spend some money on some better ep's. I just felt like I was looking down this long tube with those stock ep's. So I bought a 17mm Nagler Type 4. I still remember the first time I looked through the Nagler. It was like night and day between that ep and the stock plossls. I just couldn't believe the difference in views. I felt like I was looking through a totally different scope. It just gave me a completely different viewing experience. A much more pleasing, truly spacewalk, experience. So for me, it just took one ep for me to go from "eh", to "WOW".

Now I know you said best bang for the buck, but considering the 10" Discovery felt like a completely different scope with the 17mm Nagler, I think it more than qualifies. In my opinion, it was money well spent.

So no more 50 degree FOV ep's for me. It's only Nagler's, Pan's, and Pentax ep's from now on.

2 Best things I ever did for my own backyard astro pursuits:

1. I decided to sit for most, if not all observing, & have adjusted my scope collection to (ahem) reflect that concept. I see LOTS more when I'm relaxed and focused on the views.

2. I convinced my neighbor not to finish hooking up the security light that would've obliterated my southern exposure. This was not an easy feat, as he'd literally already purchased & installed the light, and was on the ladder running the wiring when I called him down. I just asked very nicely, and told him why it was so very important to me not to light up the neighborhood. His wife was a little put out, but the light remains out. Since then he's moved away, and we're awaiting new neighbors. Ugh!

Mike Swaim

The absolute best performance that you can do to your scope is get a good Binoviewer. Nothing makes a difference like being able to use both eyes. On SCT's it is the greatest thing you can do. I reccommend without any hesitation the Seibert Black Night Binoviewer. I have personally compared it head to head against a televue and it I found the Televue has a slightly sharper focus. When I say slight I mean slight!!!.

At $300 for the base unit the Black Night binoviewer is the best thing you can buy for the money.

Choose your favorite eyepiece and pick up another one of them and the Black night and you will be amazed at the difference in what you can see through your scope.

Don Durbin
Salem Ohio

This won't qualify but my biggest bang for the buck was going from a 6" to an 11" scope.

Besides that, Carl Zeiss, crown glass, Carat - fully multicoated eyeglasses for my astigmatism (special order and you have to sign a waiver). I don't wear them except for observing and at over $300 I treat them better than my eyepieces - which I baby. And the coatings look like those on eyepieces - greenish-pink.

Take Care,

Jose Suro
Tierra Verde, Florida